The present invention is related to devices that assist a player of a musical instrument, and in particular, to a stand for supporting a musical instrument such as a guitar or electric bass instrument, when in use or at rest, with an adjustable mounting portion to hold the instrument close to the instrument player""s body with a flexible extending shaft that allows the player to move the instrument around while operating the instrument.
Musical instruments are commonly rested on special stands when not in use. These stands hold and support the instrument in a stable position and prevent the musician to lay the instrument on the floor and to stoop over to pick it up. There are also devices available to support the weight of the instrument while the musician is playing it. Such devices are usually attached to the musician""s neck or leg and limit his movement while playing the instrument.
There are different kinds of stands that support a musical instrument such as a guitar in a resting position. These devices range from conventional stands that are very bulky and hard to set up to others that are collapsible and easier to use. There have been numerous attempts to make a stand that is easily mountable, dismantled and compact. The most favorable forms of stands are strong, lightweight and easily installed or removed, and are adjustable for varying shapes of tuning heads of guitars or electric basses.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,829 issued on Apr. 3, 2001 to Yu et al teaches a stand that holds a guitar. This is one of the stands that has the advantage of being operated easily and folded into a compact composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,121 issued on Jan. 18, 2000 to Reid et al describes a collapsible stand that supports a guitar in an upright position. It is advantageous because it is easy to use, quick to erect, dismantle or fold away. This stand is light, easily portable, and compact.
These stands are rigid, and do not allow for use during performance with the instrument. Furthermore, they are not resilient or flexible, to provide resistance in playing and for ease of movement and to take the weight off the shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,751 to Cherry shows use of a device for holding the weight of an instrument while standing, which however, places or distributes the weight of the instrument across the shoulders and back, arms and neck, with potential for cumulative adverse, long-term effect. There are different types of neck straps and leg supports to accomplish this. The disadvantage of shoulder straps is that despite providing support for the weight of the instrument, they limit the capacity of the player to completely manipulate the instrument. Most of the leg straps on the other hand, are unappealing and require manual adjustments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,941 issued on Feb. 27, 1996 to Verge describes a holder for a musical instrument which permits an instrument player to support the entire weight of the instrument through the holder while at the same time allowing maximum movement of the instrument. This device consists of a member that attaches to the back of the instrument and a second member that attaches to the belt of the instrument player and the two members are interlocked together. The disadvantage of this device is that the instrument player still has to support considerable weight of the instrument because it is attached to the player""s belt. Therefore, there is a need for a freestanding support apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,158 issued on Feb. 20, 2001 to Lehoux et al describes a rest support for a guitar that is supported by a shoulder strap or waist belt allowing the guitar to hang down in the player""s hip area. This distributes the weight of the guitar and prevents player fatigue.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,158 B1 issued on Feb. 20, 2001 to Lehoux describes an apparatus for supporting and positioning a guitar by a shoulder strap or waist belt that allows the guitar to hang down in the vicinity of the player""s hip. This device still has the above mentioned disadvantage because it does not relieve the instrument player from the heavy and uncomfortable weight of a guitar when it loosely hangs at the strumming end of the instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,265 issued on Jun. 3, 1986 to Steinberger teaches a foldable leg rest for a stringed musical instrument that rests on the leg of a seated musician and it can be easily opened and closed. This device is designed to maintain a substantially streamlined appearance of the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,062 issued on Oct. 30, 1990 to Driggers teaches a guitar support apparatus for use while the guitarist is in the sitting position. This apparatus consists of a leg support strap supporting three legs hinged together and a guitar support means opposite the strap. This apparatus sits on the guitar player""s lap and supports the weight of the guitar. This device can not however be used when the musician is standing up.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,492 issued on Feb. 14, 1995 to Olson describes a similar guitar support that attaches with suction cups to the guitar from beneath and rests on the guitarist""s leg during use. When not in use, it can be flattened against the side of the guitar making it possible to fit in the case.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,252,150 B1 issued on Jun. 26, 2001 to Johnson teaches yet another similar guitar fulcrum used for releasable attachment to a body of a guitar and holding the guitar above a guitar player""s leg when the player is in a seated position. This fulcrum includes a leg pad with soft cushion material. This device can be maneuvered around and held in various upright positions prior to or when playing the guitar. This device has the same limitations of the above mentioned devices.
There are some stands that hold a guitar in playing position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,751 issued on May 10, 1988 to Cherry, referenced above, teaches such an apparatus that is used for holding a guitar in playing position. The limitations of this device is that it is very rigid and does not allow the guitar player to tilt the guitar around. It is a further disadvantage of this device that the guitar has to be mounted on the stand and also has to be attached to a neck strap. Furthermore, the device is freestanding, not simply an aid or stand for a musical instrument.
As such, it can be seen that currently available devices have many shortcomings and there is a need for a freestanding instrument support that can hold the instrument during use and also be flexible enough to give the instrument player freedom of movement for increasing intonation and musicality.
In view of the foregoing limitations and shortcomings of the prior art, there exist a need for a stand that solves the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for holding a musical instrument, and, in particular a guitar which obviates for practical purposes, the above mentioned limitations.
An object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a mounting portion to accommodate varying shapes of instrument bodies, including various shaped guitar bodies. The mounting portion is in the form of an adjustable clip that accommodates different shapes and thicknesses of instruments. Another embodiment of the mounting portion is in the form of a clamp that also adjusts to different body shapes and thicknesses of the instrument.
Another object and advantage of the present invention is to provide support for a musical instrument while at rest that is also light in weight and very easy to use. The stand should be convenient to assemble and dismantle and transport.
A further object and advantage of the present invention is to provide support for a musical instrument while a musician is playing the instrument, for adding intonation and musicality. This stand allows the musician to conveniently hold and play the instrument at the same time. This relieves the musician from carrying the weight of the entire instrument.
Yet another object and advantage of the present invention is to provide mobility, resistance and resilience for the musician while playing the instrument. The extended shaft of the present invention is a flexible rod that allows the musician to deviate from the upright position and tilt the shaft to the sides. This helps the musician tremendously by increasing freedom of motion, increases resistance, and possibly varying flexibility.
In summary, the present invention is an improved instrument stand that overcomes the shortcomings of currently available musical stands.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.